EDIT: Some joker seems to think it's rather fun to keep resurrecting this now-very-old-and-no-longer-applicable thread. Never mind - the last three or four paragraphs are as applicable as ever! - love to y'all, Mary (updated March 10, 2003)

Well, I'm sorry to have to say it, but I'm going to be spending a LOT less time here in future....I will miss y'all.

Thing is, I am finally getting a life! or so it seems. Have been found by a very nice man (something my mother always told me I wanted: "What you want, darling, is for a nice man to find you" - as opposed to t'other way around, I s'pose! certainly I've had pretty bad luck trying to find one for myself, so nice to have it happen the way ol' Mum predicted was best!). He is taking up a lot of my time.

Then I'm swotting French for an exam for a govt. job - take the test Wednesday, don't know what the next step will be or even if they will invite me to take it - an interview, I imagine? so I should be studying right now! don't know for sure if there'll be a French component to this exam but fear the worst ("the worst" because I haven't used French since Grade 12, more years ago than I care to remember!).

And I'm leaving on mes vacances soon, aussi, so won't be parked in front of a screen then either....And then it will be the fall, when all kinds of other busynesses kick in.

But hey, maybe if I get that govt. job, I'll have time and opportunity to pop in here! that'd be sweet....

Meanwhile, I hope I will be popping in occasionally, but realistically I think I'll be disappearing for awhile. It makes me a bit sad....I was realising that meeting people on the Internet like this is very like travelling: You meet some wonderful people (and, let's face it, some you wouldn't even eat a bag lunch with!). You form new friendships; you stay in touch. Gradually some of these wonderful people drift out of your immediate life - you don't hear from them anywhere near as often, nor do they hear from you anywhere near as often. And you miss that wonderfulness in your life.

But....

You take comfort in knowing that such wonderful people are Out There in the world, being wonderful, and that other people are receiving the first-hand benefits of their wonderfulness.

I so love knowing that all of you are Out There - so much goodness spread around the globe! - and I hope to find y'all here and posting happily, whenever I can pop in.

Love to all
Mary

Let us go in peace to love and serve the board.

Okay, and now I'm leaving for another reason: I just checked my email and found this from the webmaster at AWAD:

Someone from the ip address '152.163.188.7' requested a temporary password for the Username 'modestgoddess' for the website 'AWADtalk'. This is a temporary password that can be used if you have forgotten your original password. If you did not request this, please ignore this message. The temporary password for this Username is...

Who the hell would do something like that? try to get in under my handle? Right, I'm definitely outtie. There's a wolf among the sheep.

Let us go in peace to love and serve the board.

Mary, you've been a ray of sunshine

Return whenever and you'll be more than welcome. Despite missing you like mad, we'll still be here!

Enjoy yourself, and good luck in whatever you find yourself doing.

[big hug-e]

Teletubby Fisk

All the best, Mary.

152.163.188.7 resolves to "cache-ra07.proxy.aol.com".

AOL is probably one of the most (over)used ISPs ever, but possibly not on this Board, eh?

Worth emailing Anu if this is getting constant. He could tie it up with regular users signing on if need be.

Meanwhile, I'd recommend everybody make a point of incorporating a number somewhere in their passwords. This makes working them out considerably more difficult.

Well, ModGod, ... Mary. I hope you won't condemn us all because of a single 'wolf'. I fear you are not the only person who has received such a mail. I suspect the same one it has always been is still lurking in the undergrowth, and as such, isn't really a member of our board.

On a lighter note, let me congratulate you on your being found! I have only recently learned that the astounding thing about maternity is that it has an insight and intellect that is very obscured, very subtle, and is largely untapped by most of us - men and women alike. Mothers truly are the ultimate oracle. Your mother was clearly no exception, and you are an esprit fort.


All the best.

MG - I've never contacted you directly, but I do enjoy your posts a great deal. You are one of the "wonderful people" but now you'll just be Out There more than In Here. C'mon back whenever the spirit moves you and your real life allows!

nancyk

Good luck Mary! Come back, or just pop in, whenever the timing seems right - it's been a pleasure sharing some of your company.

and don't worry too much about the 'wolf' - I've had three such messages in the last ten days... whoever it is seems more like a not very bright puppy!